Rising Junior UPenn (Engineering). Would Appreciate Advice!
Hi,
I am currently a rising junior at UPenn currently majoring in comp sci. After taking a finance/accounting class and looking into IB, I realized I enjoy the topic and am allured by the finance sector's room for growth (as opposed to tech). I've thought about switching to Wharton before but always assumed it was too late and didn't make an effort. I am now 100% sure that I would go into finance if I could and am willing to do whatever it takes. I am looking for some advice on what I could do. I have a 3.7 gpa and am currently do a comp sci internship in Philly. How can I show interest in finance and get the interviews? I am going to join finance clubs as soon as I get back, but what can I do right away? Research with a finance prof, edX course, etc... Also, what do you think are my chances of getting something for next year or senior year? I'm hoping that I can stay an extra year and still dual degree/switch into Wharton.
In wharton a year above you. Just memorize everything in the M&I guide and you'll be on par with an average wharton kid if not better. The concepts are easy. You can learn it all in 2-3 weeks. Shouldn't have any problems getting an interview with a 3.7 in seas.
Thank you so much! That was really concise and helpful. Is it really that easy to get an interview? From everything I've heard, it seems really hard to get noticed in banking if you're not in Wharton. Are there any other clubs or activities I could do to demonstrate interest or is WITG all it would take? Is something like research not that helpful? Also should I be sending out emails to network? Sorry for the flood of questions; I just have a lot.
It depends on the bank. With a 3.7 in seas you will for sure get some looks given the average gpa at Wharton is 3.3, and engineering is harder - this is given you are able to demonstrate interest in finance on your resume (Say you have been in WITG since freshman year, no one will check, put wharton coursework at the top of your resume)
You need to network - banking interviews are like 40% merit 60% do I know you / like you. Common link you might want to search for are penn engineers working in finance right now. Should give you a lot to talk about.
If you put enough effort in to learn the concepts and networking you should be able to land a BB like Citi, BAML, DB, or RBS without a problem. You could honestly prolly get into MS, GS, or any elite boutique like Evercore or Moelis if things go in your favor. Sky is the limit my man.
Btw the average Wharton kid is not as smart as people think in my opinion. Don't overestimate your competition and think you can't get good opportunities just because you're not in Wharton. Finance is shit easy, if you're doing well in Comp Sci / Chem E you should honestly be able to master it in less than a month (which is what the summer is for)
tbh not having the wharton name on your resume will hurt you. I would network hard at all firms that you are interested in and have a great story about why you are interested in investment banking and why your engineering education makes you a better candidate than your counterparts in wharton.
How much would it hurt? pdybala24's advice makes me hopeful, but I've been discouraged because I feel like yours is the truth. What kind of stories are the most compelling? I don't the honest truth of career potential is gonna sell.
Laying down a hard truth here. It'll hurt quite a bit. It would be easy to spin the econ major if you were in CAS, but it is a lot harder to spin engineering. You'll have to say something along the lines of "I didn't major in finance because all the skills can be learned on the job and I wanted to learn more about the vertical that I intend on covering (technology) through the CS major". Just my 2 cents.
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